What is digital information?

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Digital information is a type of information stored using a series of ones and zeros, according to TechTerms.com. It is the most commonly used method of storing and reading data, as it can be copied, edited and moved without losing any quality.

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Computers are digital machines, as they can read information as on or off (i.e., 1 or 0), according to TechTerms.com. This computation method is known as the binary system, and it is capable of representing huge amounts of data. CDs and DVDs, which are entirely composed of ones and zeros, are used to store and play back high-quality audio and video.

Humans perceive information in analog, unlike computers, which read information using the binary system. People capture visual and auditory signals as a continuous stream. In contrast, digital devices estimate such information using ones and zeros. This rate of estimation is referred to as the “sampling rate,” which is combined with the “bit depth,” or the amount of information included in every sample, to determine the accuracy of digital estimation.

Webopedia explains that digital information describes a system according to discontinuous data or events. Computers handle data in digital form, which is why they require analog-to-digital converters to convert signals from analog to digital so that the signals can be read.